PM silences critics, says UPA’s record is superior to that of NDA

New Delhi: Unveiling the Congress manifesto for coming Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday launched a frontal attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying the UPA's record is superior to that of NDA in all aspects of economic growth and development.

“Growth has many dimensions, I am glad that 'My Congress Manifesto' spells the vision for growth and job creation in great detail. We have delivered more growth than our opponents,” Singh said.

“Corruption can’t be wished away. But I am sure that the next Congress government would definitely tackle the issue of corruption. We have proved all graft allegations levied by the BJP wrong. The Opposition couldn’t make me run away,” he added.

The BJP had earlier called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a ‘lameduck’ who is running a ‘comatose’ government.

Taking potshots at BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Singh said, “Today we hear about Gujarat Model but there is only one model, the Congress model which believes in growth with equality.”

Speaking about the Congress poll manifesto, Singh said, “The manifesto attempts to cover the needs of all sections of society, from farmers, the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, women and children. It is a forward looking document... it is in response to the needs of the people of the country.”We will win, says Sonia

Refuting the results of election-eve opinion polls that have predicted the Congress decline in the general elections, party president Sonia Gandhi said the UPA will win the Lok Sabha elections despite adverse opinion polls.

“In 2004 it was said that the Congress story is finished. But the story of the Congress continued. Similarly, in 2009, it was said we are going to lose but we won. We also got a bigger number of seats...So I am quite confident that we will do well (now too). Our people are ready to fight, and we will win," Sonia said.

Releasing the manifesto at a function, party chief Sonia Gandhi said the manifesto has been prepared after party vice-president Rahul Gandhi held consultations with people from different parts of the country.

90 percent of our poll promises delivered: Rahul Gandhi

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi claimed that the UPA-2 government has been able to deliver 90 percent of the poll promises made by the party before the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

"I am proud to say that we have completed 90 percent of what we said in our 2009 manifesto," he said.

The Gandhi scion also challenged the perception that the BJP was most likely to win the Lok Sabha elections and said ‘this balloon will explode’.

Rahul told the media here that the BJP's claims now were akin to the ‘India Shining’ ad blitz it carried out ahead of the 2004 Lok Sabha battle that the BJP lost to the Congress.

"When it comes to perception, the 'India Shining' campaign was a brilliant campaign. Everyone including you was convinced that the BJP was winning..."The BJP has the ability to carry out India Shining campaigns... I am sure this balloon will explode." he added.

Rahul insisted that it was the Congress which had more allies in the country but the popular projection was different.